As the warmer months approach, hospitality venues are looking forward to the return of open air, al fresco dining. If you run a café, restaurant, bar or pub, then it’s a good time to update your outdoor chairs. Keep reading and the Rosehill team will take you on a tour of the top five outdoor chairs you can buy right now…
The different types of outdoor chairs
Before we take you through our top five, we’ll provide you with a bit more information on the different types of outdoor chairs that are available.
The different types of outdoor chair you can buy are:
- Poly outdoor chairs – these are chairs that are either entirely, or mainly, made from polypropylene (plastic).
- Metal outdoor chairs – these are chairs that feature a metal frame and legs (sometimes the back and seat are also made of metal).
- Folding outdoor chairs – as their name suggests, these are chairs which can be folded for ease of movement and storage.
Because different types of outdoor chairs are suitable for different types of hospitality venues, we’ve made sure to include at least one example of each in our top five below.
What to look for when buying outdoor dining furniture for a hospitality venue
Whether you’re looking for outdoor furniture for a pub, restaurant, café, garden terrace or other type of outdoor dining space, there are a number of points you need to consider.
The Rosehill team has set out these points and everything you need to know when buying outdoor hospitality furniture in our commercial outdoor furniture buying guide.
The best poly outdoor chairs
Poly outdoor chairs combine affordability, longevity and characterful design into a single package, making them ideal for a broad range of hospitality settings. Below, you’ll find three of Rosehill’s most popular poly outdoor chairs.
KI Hatton Stacking Chair
At once stylish, practical and versatile, the Hatton Stacking Chair is one of our most popular chairs for use in hospitality settings.
Manufactured from a 100% recyclable, one-piece, injection-moulded polypropylene glass-fibre blend, the Hatton is ideal for use outdoors. With its poly construction, the Hatton is weather resistant and easy to wipe down and clean between patrons.
Thanks to its built-in UV protection, the Hatton will also retain its colour even when used outdoors in bright sunlight. In fact, talking of colours, the Hatton is available in a range of bright bold colours (as well as custom colours – subject to minimum order quantities). As such, it’s easy to select the Hatton in a colour that’ll match your hospitality venue’s decor.
Despite being plastic, the Hatton offers excellent comfort thanks to its ergonomically-designed seat and backrest. The Hatton is also lightweight and stackable (up to eight high on the floor, and 16 high when used with its transport dolly). Because of this, the Hatton is ideal for hospitality settings where it is necessary to regularly move and store seating. The chair’s integrated back handle also makes it easy to manipulate and move.
To round things off, the Hatton is made right here in the UK and comes with a five-year warranty.
Strata Stacking Chair
Another excellent plastic outdoor chair option for hospitality venues is the Strata Stacking Chair.
Made in Italy, the Strata has a stylish, continental-inspired design with a distinct silhouette and stance. Yet, this style doesn’t come at the expense of comfort. Quite the contrary, in fact!
The Strata will be comfortable for long periods of sitting thanks to its ergonomic design and comfortable anti-static surface.
Manufactured from UV-resistant polypropylene, the Strata has the characteristics that every piece of outdoor hospitality furniture should have; lightweight, portable, stackable, easy-to-clean, and weather-resistant. Being stackable to eight high, the Strata is also ideal for multi-use hospitality spaces.
The Strata is available in a choice of 13 bold, distinctive colours. For added peace of mind, the Strata comes with a three-year guarantee and is certified to EN 581-2:2009. This means it has been tested to support weights of up to 110 kg (approximately 17 stone) and is able to withstand prolonged use outdoors.
Klia Stacking Chair & Armchair
If you’re looking for a particularly modern-looking and elegant outdoor chair, then check out the Klia.
Available as either a standard chair or an armchair, the Klia has a distinctively European look and feel, with sleek lines and a range of subtle, on-trend pastel colours.
Manufactured from polypropylene that is reinforced with glass fibre, the Klia is particularly robust and will take the rigours of daily use in hospitality venues in its stride. It’s also been UV-tested in line with EN 16130 Level 1, meaning it’ll withstand prolonged use outdoors in all weathers.
Designed by Kastel in Italy, the Klia is an eminently practical chair (in addition to being a stylish one). The standard model can be stacked up to 12 high, whilst the armchair version can be stacked up to 10 high – making the Klia easy to move and store.
Although the design of the Klia makes it inherently comfortable, further comfort can be added with an optional removable cushion.
The best metal outdoor chairs
For some hospitality venues, metal outdoor chairs are their preferred option. If that’s the case for you, then you’ll find Rosehill’s most popular metal outdoor chair below.
Origin Contour Dining & Lounge Chairs
It’s a well-worn cliché to describe an item of furniture as ‘oozing style’, but the Origin really does!
With a stylish modern design, the Origin looks as though it could have come straight from the sketching book of a design great like Oscar Niemeyer
With its distinctive tubular construction for the frame and legs and wire construction for the seat and back, the Origin is both visually striking and surprisingly comfortable.
Available as a standard chair, a dining chair (with arms), a bar stool, a lounge chair, and lounge armchair, the Origin range has a chair for every hospitality occasion.
The diversity of the Origin range doesn’t end there. The chairs are available in a series of interesting colours; Black Grey, Papyrus White, Red Orange, Reed Green and Signal Yellow.
Manufactured in the UK and supplied fully assembled and ready to use, the Origin is perfect for a wide range of outdoor uses including garden terraces, beer gardens, outdoor dining areas and more.
For added reassurance, the Origin comes with a 10-year structural guarantee and has been tested to EN 581-2: 2015 and CDM: 2016 Contract Level.
Note – the Origin Contour is also available in a stool version.
The best folding outdoor chairs
Do you regularly have to move and store your chairs for outdoor dining? Then you may find that a folding outdoor chair is the most practical option. Below, you’ll find Rosehill’s most popular folding chair for outdoor hospitality use.
Arch Folding Side Chair
Sporting a traditional wrought-iron frame and wooden slatted seat and back, the Arch is a fantastic all-rounder. Equally capable of being used in a tea garden or an outdoor section at a restaurant, the Arch is a practical, affordable and long-lasting choice.
As you’ve probably guessed, the stand-out feature of the Arch is its ability to fold nearly completely flat, making it a breeze to move around and store away. The Arch also has a weight capacity of 150 kg (approximately 23 stone).
You’ll find that the Arch is available in either a standard side chair version, or an armchair version. It’s also possible to buy matching Arch folding tables to create a complementary outdoor dining set up.
Where to buy the best outdoor chairs for hospitality venues
No matter what time of year you’re looking to buy outdoor dining furniture, you’ll always get the best deals here at Rosehill.
For over 40 years, we’ve helped hospitality professionals of all kinds to find and buy the very best outdoor furniture for their venues.
With relationships with all the UK’s best furniture manufacturers, we are able to secure bulk buy deals that you simply won’t find anywhere else.
If you’d like to discuss your outdoor furniture requirements with a real human, then the Rosehill sales team is ready and waiting! You can reach us on 0161 485 1717 or at: sales@rosehill.co.uk.
Shop outdoor chairs at Rosehill now
For more commercial and contract furniture buying guides, advice and information, read the Rosehill blog…
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